Solar Jobs Week 2022

In order to address energy security concerns and tackle the climate emergency, the European Commission announced its RePowerEU plan in May of this year which included an unprecedented and first of its kind EU Solar Strategy. This long-awaited solar strategy substantially increased the EU’s 2030 solar targets to 750 GW, recognising solar’s central role in delivering for Europe’s security, economic, and climate goals. . Along with measures such as a solar rooftop mandate, a Solar PV Industry Alliance and guidance on permitting, the EU vowed to tackle the skills gap in the energy transition with an EU Pact for Skills.

Increased solar ambition is what we need – and we got it! Now we need the solar workers to help us to get there. 

During Solar Jobs Week we announced the next step in our #SolarWorks campaign, which will be connecting job seekers to solar companies and training providers. 

To ensure there are enough solar workers to drive the energy transition, we are developing the #SolarWorks Platform, which will help companies along the solar value chain find skilled workers. This platform will connect job seekers to solar companies with a skills-matching algorithm. Based on a job seeker’s missing skills, relevant training is suggested thanks to a broad range of educational institutions, from engineering universities to technical solar power installation courses.

This jobs platform will be officially launched on 1 December 2022, when we organise the first edition of the online #SolarWorksFair, where we will bring potential solar workers and companies together. This virtual jobs fair will connect candidates to solar roles in real time, but job seekers will also be invited to follow sessions on why they should work in the PV sector or learn what skills are needed for the energy transition.

Registrations for the #SolarWorksFair are opening soon, make sure you are following our new SolarWorks Platform social media accounts on LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok!

To end the week we published a new episode of our ShineOn Podcast. In this conversation we dive into challenges and opportunities for solar jobs in Europe, answering key questions about how we can address the skills gap. 

Our hosts Anna Gumbau and Dries Acke talk with young entrepreneur Filip Koprčina, founder of Energy Shift, a blockchain powered platform that enables citizens to jointly invest in and co-own solar farms. Filip has previous work experience from a solar installation company and was a Technical Working Group member in the United Nations’ High-Level Dialogue on Energy. He won the EU Sustainable Energy Award in the Young Trailblazer category, awarded by the European Commission, and is a laureate of the Forbes 30 under 30 Europe 2022.